Nothing. How come there's nothing!
Sorry, Kosuke. There's nothing for dinner.
Are you really...
Hey, what're you doing!
You gotta eat the tatami mat?
You that hungry?
I'm okay. I ate lots of lunch at school.
Don't lie to me!
You're hungry, aren't you!
Huh? Aren't you hungry?
Hey, tell me honestly.
What do you mean you're okay when you're eating tatami mat!
You're starving, aren't you?!
Sorry for being such a bad dad.
Dad, why are you crying?
It all started that summer 13 years ago.
If I have to hit him, hit him in the face,
that's what I keep telling myself.
If I hit his face, his teacher at school would notice that he's being abused.
Then they'll take Kosuke away to a facility and
he can have a better life.
But I can't hit him.
I start to hit him and end up stroking his cheeks.
Takaoka-san, do you have children?
No.
A child's cheeks are
soft and warm and gentle.
When I rub my cheek against his, it makes me cry.
My beard must hurt him. Dirty too.
But he asks me, "Dad, why are you crying?"
There's nothing left to do but apologize.
"Sorry for being such a bad dad."
I'm sorry for making you listen to my story.
I'm prepared for it.
- Someone fell! - Someone fell!
Someone fell!
Reiko.
- When's your next day off? - I don't know.
Around when do you think you can take off? Your aunt from Setagaya...
I don't know. If it's about a marriage meeting, decline it.
At least listen to what I have to say.
Even if I did, the answer's the same.
Listen, your aunt's concerned about you...
Tell her to mind her own business.
- You don't have to be so rude. - Hey.
We haven't had dinner together in a long time.
That's why I have to talk to her now.
That's why I don't like coming home. Thanks for the food.
You're not done yet. Reiko, are you running away?
Reiko!
I died that summer 13 years ago...
and I was born.
But even then, the reason why this indescribable feeling rears its head sometimes
is because of the weight of my family and the intolerable heat of that summer.
Hey there!
Are you Mishima-san's son?
That's what I thought. You look just like him around the eyes.
Your father was my friend.
I'm almost done here so
if you don't mind, you wanna have dinner with me?
Hey, kid!
Wait out in the front, okay?
Almost missed you. Forgot to give you the condolence gift.
You know what this is? Money. Yay~. Spend it wisely.
Is it good?
It is?
Don't worry. I won't do anything.
Go ahead, eat.
- Good morning. - Good morning.
- Oh, thanks.
- Did you go see Kunioku Sensei? - Yeah.
Shunin.
Looks like Touyama's sniffing around something
that was brought in to the crime lab early this morning.
What do you suppose was brought in?
- Thanks. - Word's going around that
Director Hashizume's stuck to the crime lab.
Does that mean it's a big case?
I love big things.
- Kusaka Shunin. - What.
- Did you find interesting information? - Information? What are you talking about?
Aw, come on. Looks like you've been busy collecting information all morning.
At the crime lab across the connecting corridor, for example.
You trying to be like Gantetsu?
- Huh? - Don't waste your breath. You're way too
inexperienced to draw out information from me.
Wait just one minute. When did I try to be like Gantetsu?
- Himekawa. - I said wait.
It's murder. We're setting up a task force in Kamata.
- You're sending us to the scene, right? - I tell you,
those guys can do too it if they want to.
- Who are "those guys"? - The folks at the crime lab.
They had the audacity to tell me I had to wait my turn, so
I personally went there and made them do it first.
Speed is the key. Speed.
- Then the attending team is? - It's both.
Kusaka, Himekawa. Both teams get ready.
So who's the victim?
Left hand.
Left hand?
Yes. I just got the picture. He seems like a very nice person.
No, uh...
Reiko-chan!
- You again? - Love is what is it. Love.
The red thread of steel
- that connects Reiko-chan and me. - There's no way
- you'd get reassigned that often. - But there is.
Don't tell me...reassignment that goes with promotion?
- Did you get a promotion? - Correct answer.
- That means you're police sergeant. - Correct again.
Ta-da.
I finally caught up to you, Kiku-yan.
Sorry, but I'll be talking casually to you from now on.
When did you ever use honorific language on me, huh?
Hold it! Don't tell me you're on our team.
Of course I was ordered to be Reiko-chan's buddy.
Himekawa, you're sitting there.
What can we do. Seniority rules.
- Okay, let's begin. - Kusaka.
Attention.
Bow.
Rest.
We will now begin the first investigation meeting. First, the overview. Imaizumi.
Yes. Early this morning, under a cargo van abandoned
on the road by the bank of Tama River in the area of
2-34 Nishirokugou, Ohta-ku, a left hand believed to belong to
- an adult male was found. - Why just the left hand.
Based on a testimony and fingerprint match made to those left at the amputation scene,
the left hand was identified as that of Takaoka Kenichi, 45 years old,
residing at 2-47-10 Nozomi Apartments, Nakarokugou, Ohta-ku.
Next, background of the case.
This morning at around 6:00 am, a call came in reporting
a large amount of blood in a rented garage at Nakarokugou 2-chome.
The caller was Mishima Kosuke, 22 years old.
The renter of the garage is Takaoka Kenichi.
Although not structured as a company, Takaoka was
doing carpentry work under the name of “Takaoka Building Contractor.”
Mishima Kosuke is an employee of that business.
Incidentally, in regards to Mishima Kosuke's alibi,
we obtained a testimony from his girlfriend, Nakagawa Michiko, 19 years old,
a student at a beauty school, that she was with him at the said time.
Being that both Takaoka Kenichi and his vehicle was missing,
an inquiry was run on the license plate of the missing vehicle, and
a match was found on a vehicle tagged as abandoned at 2:00 am and 5:00 am.
Upon inspection, Takaoka Kenichi's left hand
was found in a plastic shopping bag underneath the vehicle.
Hey, it's someone's hand!
In addition, an electric saw believed to be used to amputate the hand
has already been found in the garage.
Blood in the garage, blood in the abandoned vehicle, and the left hand.
The blood type collected from these 3 sources were all Type A.
The DNA matched as well.
Since it's been determined that the blood found at the amputation scene
clearly exceeds the fatal amount, which means Takaoka Kenichi is dead,
we recognize this case to be abandonment of a corpse.
Consequently, the investigation will consider the possibility that Takaoka Kenichi was murdered.
Homicide without a corpse, huh?
Based on past cases, it's a relatively hard case to establish.
I went through the trouble of speeding up the crime lab's work.
I'm expecting you guys to do speedy work too.
Chief, why is he with me again?
Take your complaint about the pairing to the Director.
I didn't make the decision.
I'm the Investigation Division Chief at South Kamata Precinct, Kawada.
I entrust this case to you.
I assigned our No. 1 ace, Ioka Hiromitsu,
to Himekawa Shunin.
- Pardon me? - He hasn't been
with our precinct very long, but he's performed brilliantly.
Please put your mind at ease and make use of him. If you'll excuse me then.
- He's got to be kidding. Aren't you glad, Himekawa?
The ace. You got the ace.
Do you want to look at this first?
Yes.
The other body parts were disposed in Tama River, but
just the left hand was inadvertently left there. Is that it?
It's also possible that he was almost seen by a passerby
so he just left the hand and ran away in panic.
That explains the abandoned vehicle too.
Will you please stop that?
Such speculations at this stage will only obstruct the investigation.
Don't be so rigid. They're just opinions for reference sake.
Himekawa aside, Chief's statement could very well be taken as a directive.
Please act cautiously.
Alright. I'll be careful.
Excuse me.
Can't he do something about that personality of his?
I swear, it's a major challenge working with him.
"Speculations will only obstruct the investigation."
Use your instinct once in a while if you're a cop.
Now, now, don't be like that. If all cops acted on instinct
and on a whim like you, that would be quite a challenge too.
- I wasn't really... - Look, your partner's waiting for you.
Please consider changing my partner.
"Mother"
It gets pitch dark at night, doesn't it?
It's suitable for disposing a body but
it could be tough too.
But once the sun rises,
it would be hard to avoid people's eyes
because of all the back splash of blood.
So it's you, Missy.
Thanks for your trouble.
It hit me recently that
maybe you're the one who's attracting all these heinous crimes.
Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
It's a joke.
Try not to throw up.
Hey, this way.
If you're joking, act like it, I say.
Listen. Don't let Kusaka's team mess with you.
We're going to crack this case.
Let's do it.
Okay, Reiko-chan. I guess we're going over there.
Shall we go then.
You'd be warmer if we linked arms.
Reiko-chan.
Don't be shy.
Here, Reiko-chan. Here.
Why only one?
Oh, that? There's water and
bathroom on the other side, so
the blue tents are all congregating there.
- Excuse me. - Yes?
- I'd like to ask you something. - What is it?
Do you know how long that tent's been there?
Oh, that. 1 year...
no, about 2 years. I think that's about how it's been there.
Is that right.
Reiko-chan, are you really going there?
Of course. He might have witnessed the culprit
transporting the body.
- Ioka! - Yes.
Wah. What's this smell.
Excuse me. Hello.
Looks like no one's home. Let's go back.
Excuse me. Is anyone home?
Excuse me.
That's all.
So neither team got any worthwhile information, huh?
And Himekawa,
what's this about a homeless in bed with a cold.
By the way, you smell, you know.
Well, they were limited by time today.
At any rate, first on the list is Mishima Kosuke
who was in the closest proximity to Takaoka Kenichi.
Himekawa.
Please let me question Mishima Kosuke.
- Director. - What is it, Kusaka.
In regards to Mishima Kosuke's girlfriend, Nakagawa Michiko.
Considering the fact that she's a young woman,
she may find it easier to talk to Himekawa.
Let's leave the woman to woman talk to Himekawa, and I'll question Mishima.
That's what I was thinking too.
However, Himekawa, leave your speculations behind.
Woman to woman? Ah~! He really pisses me off.
On top of that, is that all he can talk about? Speculation, speculation.
Yuda, one more draft beer... And shochu. And glasses.
Don't want any.
Ah~ I sure wanted to do the questioning.
Obviously, the person who's closest to this case
is Mishima Kosuke.
Since it's come to this, we're going to thoroughly
check out Takaoka Kenichi.
But first thing in the morning tomorrow is Nakagawa Michiko's...
I know. Woman to woman, I'll make sure I do it.
Sometimes truth can come from a peripheral character.
Besides, she's the only one who can attest to Mishima's alibi for the time being.
You mean the two conspired and killed Takaoka?
The probability isn't zero.
But Mishima Kosuke. At the precinct today...ouch.
- You okay? - At today's questioning at the precinct,
he said Takaoka Kenichi was like a father to him, right?
Still, they're not related so
they can't be like real father and son.
Being related doesn't mean much.
Anyway, you guys do a thorough investigation of
Mishima and Takaoka's relationship. I'll start with Takaoka's past.
"Pay Phone"
Yes.
What happened? What?
Wait, wait. Wait a minute.
Who was that? A guy? Huh? A guy?
Can't be.
- What do you mean can't be? - Shunin's a woman after all.
Right? Kikuta.
Why are you passing it off to me?
Just because.
Here's your order.
Thanks.
Are you alright?
Yeah. How about you?
Oh, you're here.
Heart attack?
Yeah. She was lucky
she was on the phone with your aunt.
I see.
Were you busy?
Yeah. You should've left a message.
I thought you were probably busy.
I'm sorry.
She's just talking in her sleep. She's been having nightmares.
I'm sorry, Reiko. I'm sorry.
I have to get back to work. I'm leaving.
Reiko.
I know you're busy, but come see her once in a while.
I didn't answer the phone because I thought it was Mom.
I didn't have your phone number in my cell.
It's okay if you get mad at me, Dad.
Ask me why I didn't answer the phone. If work is more important than a parent.
It is.
Good night.
Cut it out!
Why does it end up like this?
- Leave me alone already! - Can't I worry about you?
I bet there were times you wished I was gone.
I never thought that.
Did you find out something? Is it about Takaoka Kenichi?
Some other body parts were found?
Or is it Mishima Kosuke?
Did Nakagawa Michiko reverse the alibi?
Yeah. It's something much bigger, isn't it?
Something you can't say over the phone.
Otherwise, why would you be here.
At a time like this...
why are you here?
Welcome home.
- I'm going. - Are you alright?
Yes.
Good night.
Kosuke-kun, Kosuke-kun.
Kosuke-kun.
Do you remember me?
I'd like to ask you once more about the night before last.
Where were you with Mishima Kosuke-san?
At around 10:00 he came to my workplace.
We left after 12:00 and we were here until a little before 3:00.
During that time, did Mishima-san
get any phone calls or anything?
No, he didn't.
Does he always come get you when you're working?
Well, frequently.
I see. When did you start dating him?
About a month ago.
Your father, who died in an accident, and Takaoka-san
worked for the same company at that time. Is that correct?
No. Pops was with Nakabayashi Construction and
my father was a construction worker for a subcontractor under them.
What's the name of that company?
Kinoshita Kougyou.
The "kou" for "kougyou," is that written "kou" as in "kougyou" for industrial manufacturing?
No, it's written "kou" as in "kyoumi" (interest).
Oh, that one, huh? Okay. Father worked for Kinoshita Kougyou.
You must have had a hard time if your father
passed away just 2 months ago.
Yes.
What're you doing?
That hurts. Stop it.
- What's going on? - You go.
- Ioka. - Yes.
- Go take a look. - Oh, sure.
It's your fault for not bringing it out!
Did something happen?
- Oh, were we too noisy? - No, it's okay.
Are you alright?
Yes.
Takaoka-san? Yeah, he's a good carpenter.
He has great skills and he's diligent. He may seem a bit unfriendly, but
he has this male presence.
Did something happen to Takaoka-san?
Yes. Actually...
Oh yes, Takaoka-san really doted on Kosuke-kun.
It's not like he spoiled him or anything...
He was strict, but there was affection there.
I see.
Come to think of it, I don't think I ever heard Takaoka-san talk about his family.
Is that right.
But maybe the folks at Nakabayashi might know something.
- Who is Nakabayashi? - Construction. Nakabayashi Construction.
Nakabayashi Construction.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Reiko.
That girl.
Reiko-chan, if we're going to
Takaoka's parents' home, the train station's that way.
How did you know it was Takaoka-san
as soon as you saw the left hand?
It had a scar here.
Pops cut himself with an electric saw at work.
I see. That's what it was.
Let me ask you a little bit more about Nakagawa-san again.
You first met Nakagawa Michiko-san when you stopped by
at Royal Diner on your way home from work in Kawasaki. Is that correct?
Yes.
But if you were on your way home from Kawasaki,
in order to get to that restaurant, you'd have to make a U-turn
to get on the other side of the road, wouldn't you?
There are plenty of other restaurants on that side of the road...
I like Royal Diner.
I see. Then what made you
start talking to Nakagawa Michiko-san?
Excuse me, but does that have anything to do with Pops' death?
We will decide that.
Why did you talk to her?
- I thought she was kinda cute. - When you see cute girls,
do you always start talking to them like that?
What's this bullshit! You want to ask me
about Pops, don't you? She's got nothing to do with it!
Mishima-san,
I never ask questions that aren't related to a case.
We ask for your cooperation if something comes up again.
Why do young kids these days lose their temper right away.
He had nice hands.
- Huh? - They were hands of a craftsman.
Is that right?
What is it. I'm at work, you know.
So he locked himself in his room again?
I'm on a task force. It'll take a while.
I have another call coming in. Gotta go.
Kusaka. Yeah, I'll go there. Yeah.
Takaoka Kenichi's parents' house should be around here, shouldn't it?
Looks like the area went through a major transformation.
Yes, Himekawa. Where?
Nakabayashi Construction? Alright. Thanks.
What's this about Nakabayashi Construction?
It's the company Takaoka Kenichi worked for previously. Have you heard of it?
It's Tajima-gumi's front company.
The regionally designated Tajima-gumi under Yamato-kai?
Yes. That's what I heard
from my peer who went to Organized Crime Division.
So he was at that kind of place.
Suicide? You mean Mishima Kosuke-san's father?
Although in the end, it turned out it wasn't.
He had a lot of debts so that's how the rumor started.
I think it was very hard for Kosuke-kun.
But Takaoka-san took him under his wings and
became like a father figure to him.
I see. So that's how it was.
Gosh, I laughed a lot. Huh?
You lie, Oji-san. You were crying on the roller coaster.
When did I cry?
You were too crying. Wah~ Wah~!
- Did I look like that? - Yup.
It's been a while since I laughed like that.
We're alike, aren't we?
Kosuke, you wanna ride the roller coaster again?
That's okay. You're scared, aren't you?
That's why I'll watch you from down here.
If you're not riding, I'm not either.
Ah, Takaoka-san's tobacco shop that used to be there.
Do you remember their son Kenichi-san?
No. I just remember the Mrs. mentioning something
about a son who works for a company.
As I recall, it was a railroad company.
Railroad?
Didn't he work for Nakabayashi Construction?
Surely you're joking! There's no way.
Mrs. Takaoka was practically killed by Nakabayashi.
- What do you mean? - That condo there.
Nakabayashi Construction built that, but
the land shark at that time was Nakabayashi Housing
of the same conglomerate.
Oh yes, their harassment was endless.
Takaoka-san's place too?
Yes. She said it's the shop her late husband left for her
and she hung on until the end, but
they harassed her by throwing a cat's corpse in her house and
and picking fights pretending to be a customer, among other things.
She was psychologically battered and finally, suicide.
Oh my. She was indeed practically killed by Nakabayashi Construction.
- This must be it. - Let's go.
Kikuta.
- Kusaka Shunin. - Why are you here?
We heard from Takaoka Kenichi's
coworker that he worked here previously.
I see. However, I'll check things out there.
You go check out the area around Takaoka's apartment.
But that area, Hayama and Yuda's already...
Kikuta. We're all 10th Unit.
Which means your superior's not only Himekawa, but me too. Correct?
Yes.
Kosuke, I've been thinking, but
you...
you ever thought about being a carpenter?
If that's what you want to do, I'll train you well.
I'd like to do it.
Oh yeah? You want to do it, huh?
Yes.
This is your home from today.
But you've been here before, so I guess it's nothing new.
But now that it's my home, it feels new.
Until you're 20, okay?
I'll let you stay here until you're 20.
After that, you'll have to rent your own place and live on your own.
Until that time, I'll drive the fundamentals of carpentry into your head.
It won't be easy. Are you mentally prepared?
Yes. Please teach me.
- Hot! - Are you alright?
About what?
Oh, the coffee.
- Go ahead. - Thanks.
So? Did you find out anything at Nakabayashi Construction?
We ran into Kusaka Shunin in front of the office.
- Kusaka? - He said he'd go to Nakabayashi Construction.
- And you were turned away. - I'm sorry.
It's nothing to apologize for.
Shunin. I put together the data on Nakabayashi Construction.
Thanks.
I'll be in the conference room.
Did I come at a bad time?
Don't be ridiculous.
I did come at a bad time.
Arguing? Takaoka Kenichi and Mishima Kosuke were arguing?
About 2 months ago.
The person who told us only saw them from a distance,
so he didn't know what they were arguing about, but
he was surprised because
he's never seen those two argue.
We're checking right now to see if anyone was nearby.
2 months ago.
Yes. But apparently,
they were back to normal the next day.
Reiko-chan.
I finally found someone who knew Takaoka well in the past.
- Really? - A childhood friend
who saw Takaoka until right before he sold his parents' property.
I asked him to set aside some time for us tomorrow.
Good job, Ioka.
13 years ago, Mishima Kosuke's father, Tadaharu...
Hey Kusaka. Does the father have anything to do with this case?
Yes. He's believed to be involved in
an alleged insurance fraud that's connected to this case.
- Insurance fraud? - As I reported earlier,
Nakabayashi Construction is Tajima-gumi's front company.
It is believed that Tajima-gumi is deeply involved in insurance fraud.
Mishima Tadaharu is most likely a victim.
13 years ago, when Mishima Tadaharu was a construction worker
for Nakabayashi Construction's subcontractor, Kinoshita Kougyou,
he fell off a scaffold and died.
- Excuse me... - What.
That "kou" in "kougyou," is written "kou" as in "kyoumi"?
Yeah. What about it.
Nakagawa Michiko's father was also a construction worker for Kinoshita Kougyou
and he fell to his death just 2 months ago.
- Did he have any debts? - We haven't looked into that yet.
- Check it out. - Yes.
After Mishima Tadaharu's case, which was treated as an accident,
just from what we researched through last year,
there were eight Kinoshita Kougyou construction workers who fell and died on Nakabayashi Construction sites.
He comes up with incredible information in just 1 day.
All the people who fell and died
had debts to loan sharks affiliated with Tajima-gumi, and
and they were all was offset with insurance money after their death.
It's hard to believe they're coincidental. I believe we have grounds to suspect insurance fraud.
So how is that relevant to Takaoka's murder?
13 years ago, Takaoka Kenichi was working for Nakabayashi Construction, and
we have a testimony from an individual
stating that Takaoka was with Mishima Tadaharu when he fell.
So in other words, you're saying Takaoka was involved in
insurance fraud at Nakabayashi Construction and killed Mishima Kosuke's father.
Hey, if that's true,
Mishima Kosuke has a motive to kill Takaoka.
We don't have enough evidence to reach that conclusion yet...
I know. There's the possibility, of course,
that someone from Nakabayashi silenced Takaoka. Right?
I believe we should investigate from
every angle without any preconceptions. That's all I have.
Himekawa.
In other words, while Takaoka Kenichi was deeply involved in insurance fraud,
on the other hand, he was raising Mishima Kosuke
as if he was his own child?
Takaoka's psychology
can't be assessed at this stage. What's your point?
If Takaoka Kenichi was indeed
taking care of Mishima Kosuke to atone for his sin,
why did a person who thinks and acts like that go to work for Nakabayashi in the first place.
I sense a contradiction in Takaoka's character profile.
- Himekawa. - Missy.
Takaoka probably didn't know when he got hired
that Nakabayashi was that kind of a company.
But he did. Takaoka
- knew Nakabayashi Construction all too well. - Hey, hey.
Do you have a bone to pick with the insurance fraud angle?
No, that I don't have.
However, I have a feeling there's more to this case beside that.
That intuition again. What's important now
isn't your intuition, but
it's finding out who killed Takaoka.
In order to do that, it's important to know Takaoka as a person.
Himekawa. Then it's pointless to sit here speculating, isn't it.
If you're a cop, bring the evidence.
I'll do that.
This is Mishima Kosuke. He's still a kid, but
I'll make sure I train him properly, so please look upon him kindly.
- Nice to meet you. - I'm Mishima Kosuke.
- I'm pleased to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
I'll make sure he doesn't get in the way, so
- please bear with him. - I'm pleased to meet you.
Kosuke, get out of the way!
- I'm sorry. - That's okay.
- It's alright! - I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Who's this person?
The recent Takaoka-san.
No, this isn't him. This isn't Ken-chan.
But that's definitely
- Takaoka Kenichi-san's... - We've known each other
since we were kids.
Even if the last time we met was 13 years ago,
I can tell if this is Ken-chan or not.
This isn't Ken-chan.
He isn't Takaoka Kenichi?
Ken-chan. It's me, Yuji. Sawai Yuji.
Ken-chan, are you alright?
Yu-chan, I can't go on anymore.
He looked like a ghost.
Ken-chan, he quickly denied it, but
I think he was trying to commit suicide.
Suicide?
I'll go pay the bill.
Who are you?